BTS’s ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ Now Claims The Fifth-Most Weeks On The Sales Ranking Among Korean Albums

On the current Top Album Sales chart, the Billboard ranking that only looks at the full-lengths that sold the most copies every frame in the U.S. (which is different from the Billboard 200, the albums chart most commonly referred to, which takes into account streaming and track sale equivalent “units”), the top 10 is almost entirely filled by either brand new releases or those which return to the tally thanks to reissues. There is only one title that finds space inside the uppermost area that’s been there before, and it’s one of the bestselling albums in quite some time.

BTS’s Map of the Soul: 7 falls to No. 10 this time around on the Top Album Sales chart, standing as the only effort that was present in the region last week that manages to hold on. By doing so, it moves up on the all-time ranking of the longest-charting releases by South Korean musicians, and, unsurprisingly, the band is now only competing with themselves when it comes to which titles by artists from that country have held on the longest…all except for one very special CD.

Map of the Soul: 7 has now been present on the Top Album Sales chart for 15 weeks, and in that time, it hasn’t strayed far from the penthouse, where it debuted with one of the largest first frames in a long, long time. Last time around, the set was tied with one of the collections BTS released last year, BTS World, which served as the soundtrack to their mobile game of the same name. That project charted for 14 weeks.

The longest-charting full-length by a South Korean musician or group remains BTS’s Love Yourself: Answer, which has been going strong for 70 nonconsecutive weeks. That title is still upping its total count all the time, and it hits 70 frames this period.

In a not-too-distant second place is the septet’s Love Yourself: Tear, which managed 68 spins on the Top Album Sales chart, and while it’s no longer present on the list, it could return at any time. 

Two BTS records are tied with one another as the third-longest-charting titles on the Top Album Sales chart (among South Korean acts only), as both Love Yourself: Her and Map of the Soul: Persona have earned 59 stays on the roster. The latter is still adding to that figure, and next time around it should reach 60.

In fourth place on the list of the longest-charting South Korean releases on the Top Album Sales list is SuperM’s self-titled EP, which has amazingly been found somewhere on the ranking for half a year (or 26 weeks). The set, which is the only album by a South Korean act not named BTS to rule the Billboard 200, is now down to No. 93, so it may fall off sometime very soon.